Public input needed on fisheries management plans for 151 Minnesota lakes

March is the month to connect with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries offices across Minnesota about 151 lakes in 40 counties that will have their fisheries lake management plans updated in 2025.

“People interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries are a critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process,” said Shannon Fisher, DNR fisheries populations and regulations manager. “These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and define the work fisheries biologists do each year. Observations and input from a lake’s stakeholders are essential to the planning effort.”

The list of lakes scheduled for plan updates in 2025 are listed below and also on the Minnesota DNR website. Fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 10 largest lakes follow a similar but separate update process. 

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The DNR encourages people with thoughts on the future management of a lake scheduled for a 2025 plan update to call or email the area fisheries office listed for that lake before March 31. Area fisheries teams will consider the observations and comments obtained during this step of the process as they begin developing updates for each lake fisheries management plan.

“We want to hear from anyone interested in these fisheries,” Fisher said. “Comments about experiences, observations, concerns and wishes for the fishery — rather than suggestions on how the DNR might accomplish a specific goal or objective — are the most helpful kinds of input.”

People might ask themselves:

• “What kind of fishing experience am I looking for?”
• “Are there fish habitat concerns I’d like to share?”
• “What kinds of fish do I like to catch?”
• “Do I like catching big fish or a lot of fish?”
• “Do I have concerns about the fishery’s draw or popularity among anglers or other social concerns?”

The DNR’s interest in comments includes those from organizations as well as individuals. Representatives of lake associations, outdoors groups, conservations organizations and local units of government are also encouraged to comment during the comment period.

Based on initial comments received, management approaches under consideration, and other considerations, area fisheries managers might determine additional public engagement is necessary later in summer or fall before completing their update to a particular plan. The DNR will publicize those opportunities for additional engagement regionally and posted them on the DNR lake management page.

For additional information about why and how the DNR develops and utilizes fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 4,500 actively managed lakes, visit the DNR’s lake management planning page.

The lakes, listed by county, scheduled for lake management plan updates in 2025 include:

Aitkin: Lone, Sugar, Hay

Anoka: Crooked

Becker: Detroit, Island, Little Sugar Bush, Little Toad, Many Point, White Earth

Beltrami: Balm, Clearwater, Julia, Sandy

Big Stone: Big Stone

Blue Earth: Duck

Carlton: Moosehorn River

Cass: Baby, Hay, Inguadona, Little Bass, Sugar, Morrison, Pillager

Clearwater: Johnson, Lomond, Pine

Cook: Pike, South, Two Island, Tom, North Shady

Crow Wing: Adney, Black Bear, Kego, Partridge, Turtle, Twin

Douglas: Andrew

Hennepin: Dutch, Cornelia, Champion Mill

Hubbard: Kabekona, Lower Battle, Upper Battle

Isanti: Lake, South Stanchfield

Itasca: Erskine, Island, Little Splithand, Long, Lower Panasa, McKinney, Pokegama, Pughole, Round, Siseebakwer, Thistledew

Kandiyohi: Andrew, Florida, Games, Norway

Koochiching: Battle, Dark, Seretha, Silversack, Teufer

Lac Qui Parle: Lac Qui Parle

Lake: Beaver Hut, Cross River, Ensign, Farm, Garden, Grass, Middle McDougal, North McDougal, Section 29, South Farm, Stewart

LeSueur: Emily

Lincoln: Shaokotan

Lyon: Clear

Martin: Clear

Meeker: Dunns, Hoff, Richardson

Morrison: Alexander, Shamineau

Nobles: Kimbrae

Otter Tail: Clitheral, Dead, North Luda, Otter Tail, Pelican, South Luda, South Ten Mile, Star, West Battle

Pine: Sand, Tamarack, Upper Pine

Pope: Minnewaska

Ramsey: Turtle

Rice: Cannon, Circle, Fox, French, Hunt, Kelly-Dudley, Roberds

Scott: Lower Prior, Upper Prior

St. Louis: Angus, Arthur, Bassett, Bear Head, Brown, Deep, Echo, Elephant, Ely, Emberrass Pit, Everett, Fat, Gun, Hanson (Burntside), Janette, Kinney Mine, Miners Pit, Mott Pit, Mudro, Pike River Flowage, Ryan, Sand, Slim, White Iron, Whiteface Reservoir, Whitewater, Winchester

Stearns: Koronis, Rice

Steele: Beaver

Swift: Camp, Monson

Todd: Charolette

Washington: Lily

Wright: Granite, Little Waverly